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Friday marked the start of mandatory furlough days for civilian employees at Springfield’s 183rd Fighter Wing.

Workers will have Fridays off between now and the end of the Fiscal Year per the federal sequester. 183rd Commander Ron Paul says they’re prepared, but it’s not easy.

“We’ve known it’s been coming for a few months,” says Paul. “We’ve prepared for it. Obviously there’s going to be a drop off in production, that was necessary and it was known throughout the Department of Defense.”

That drop in production also equates to a 20 percent pay cut between now and the end of September. Affected employees can apply for unemployment, which Paul says will be determined on a case by case basis.